


Animal Lovers

by A_space_gay



Category: Ackley Bridge (TV)
Genre: Also fluff, But not too sad, Fluff, JUST, M/M, Mr simpson makes a cheeky aperance, SO MUCH FLUFF, a little sad, also a little smutty but not, he gets it all out, i tried to balance out Cory and not make him an angel and I hope it worked out?, it's pretty darn gay, its cool, mainly in the second part but still, not like outrageous, sad Cory, some - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-10 10:49:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15289896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_space_gay/pseuds/A_space_gay
Summary: S2 E6Cory is far more emotional about Jordan than he likes to let on, he always has been, and there's something else inside him that won't go away and it's threatening to make him explode.





	1. The weakness

Cory stared at the back of Naveed’s head as his hair caught the sunlight, he was only half paying attention to anything around him as he tried desperately to use this comforting image so he didn’t have to worry about Jordan. He wanted to talk to someone other than Mr Bell about it but he wasn’t sure if he could, Riz had so much on his plate and he didn’t even know if he’d want to hear it. The other guys had this big macho image of him that, to be fair, he had built up to protect him from this exact sort of thing. And the girls? Well, they thought he was a scumbag and rightly so, he had to admit that until he found out he might have a kid he had barely even thought about them as more than a shag. Sometimes he felt himself still doing that and he felt crap, utter crap, just like his dad. Jordan being thrown out only solidified that, he was the favourite and he was the most like him; they both did absolute shit but at least Jordan had the guts to stand up, to be kind but him? He was daddy’s favourite and now Jordan was paying the price.

 

Fuck, he realised, he had completely failed in not thinking about it at all and in fact now it was threatening to consume him in front of the people who were never to know that he had ever shed a single tear. So instead he focused on what was in front of him, Naveed’s beautiful, unnaturally soft hair. His neck that felt so soft and welcoming when he had comforted him, Naveed being one of two people he had ever let get close to him and not frighten off. Not yet anyway. There was a slight worry within him that he might end up scaring him away because he isn’t the friend he deserves. All of these conflicting feelings and oxymoronic emotions weren’t good for him or Naveed and even now he couldn't stop. Yes they had reconciled but the thought of kissing someone he cared about rather than just trying to get his dick away  had stuck in his mind, as had the emptiness of his hand when Naveed had rejected it, and the way that even when he had established he wanted no romantic part in his life he had still been unable to pull his eyes away from his beautifully painted lips. 

He had felt brave for a moment, with him in the changing rooms, a braveness he had never felt before and it was beautiful to him. He hadn’t reacted violently or angrily for the first time in his life and he had cared, he had allowed himself to care… so no matter what happened from now on, he would cling to that feeling of knowing that he could be kinder and think of it whenever he saw the back of Naveed’s jet black hair.

 

It was nearing the end of the lesson, not that Cory had been aware of any time passing at all whilst trapped in his bubble of thought. He supposed he was lucky to be thinking like this rather than letting spiteful thoughts and schoolboy pranks of power rule his brain. Naveed had not been naive enough to not notice his friend deep in thought, he had committed so many of his faces to memory. It surprised him, that small fact, he had only ever befriended Cory firstly because he had status that was much needed when you’re closeted, and secondly because he was fit. Nothing more had been expected to come of it, he had only thought there would be a mildly distant background and some anger issues that mixed together propelled him towards the top of the food chain and he had hoped their similar taste in banter would be enough. He had never fathomed that beneath it all there would be someone soft and anxious and screaming for help with all of the anger he didn’t know how to deal with and all of the mocking that had never really made him happy. He supposed he had noticed a change since he arrived, he had seen Cory be kind, be vulnerable, only if a smaller bit than before and maybe he had tricked himself in thinking that could be down to him. Now he knew where they stood, Cory was confused and grateful and that was all, unfortunately for him, he found Cory to be absolutely the most interesting and wonderful person he had come across. He had seen how Cory acted with girls and he had thought that Cory didn’t treat him like that because he stopped to think and cared but maybe it was just because he didn’t fancy him. Not one bit. 

 

However Naveed hadn’t let this distract him from the lesson unlike Cory and so when the bell went he was quick to pack up his surprisingly detailed notes and flash a cheeky ‘friends-only’ smile at a dazed Cory before jumping up and going to grab his pen, his pen right next to Cory’s hand.

 

Now we know Cory hadn’t been paying attention, through no fault of his own he had been completely out of it in thoughts of lost siblings, love and self-redemption, so much so that he had almost forgotten there were other people around. So when he saw a dark-skinned hand he knew so well and was not supposed to know at all move towards him he reacted on instinct and linked their fingers, sighing at the comfort the contact brought him. “Whoa…” Naveed coughed awkwardly, knocking Cory out of his soft daydream with a jolt. “I’m just uh… getting my pen,” Naveed coughed before moving away from him a little and leaving a group of around three teenage boys who found his sleep addled mistake oh so very funny. “Oh get out of it, I’m just tired.” he stated before shaking all of the confusing thoughts out of his head and departing swiftly after Naveed “wankers.” He muttered as the door closed. 

 

He felt odd about how he had handled that, only yesterday he would have blamed Naveed, made a gay joke and thrown him under the bus to avoid a collision himself and protect his pride, but today he had just excused himself. He wasn’t even sure if he had gained any dominance over them and it scared him just a little, and now Naveed was walking far ahead of him and his chance of getting any of this off of his chest was going with him. “Oi mate wait up!” He called, jogging after his friend as if nothing at all had happened and being as laddy as it was possible to be. “I nearly lost you there,” he grinned and his friend half smiled back to him. “What was all that about?” He whispered in hushed tones as Cory relaxed next to him, he had been expecting this. “Look, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me in the changing rooms in five?” He questioned, already running off before Naveed had the chance to do anything except nod in confusion. 

 

It was rude of Cory to leave him like that, Naveed was sure it was the longest five minutes of his life as he walked up to the canteen to grab a drink and a half-hearted wave to Mrs Paracha. He was so sure things had either gone terribly wrong or amazingly right; his mind constantly switched between worrying that it was all going to be too much for Cory and that Cory had finally realised it all meant something to him too. It was a horrible mismatching set of feelings that his gay heart couldn’t handle, more than once in that short amount of time he had wondered if it was all a dream and everything for the past week or so had been.

 

Cory, however, was terrified, he had acted cool and smooth like he was used to doing and ended up completely lying about all of his emotions in the process and maybe even worrying someone he cared about (which, unfortunately, he was also used to). He had chosen the changing rooms in a moment of blind panic, there was going to be nobody there and that was all that had mattered but now he thought maybe his brain had been trying to tell him something, he actively decided not to pay attention. He planned out how to tell him all of this without spilling over and acting like he did with Mr Bell before, of course he had told Naveed about certain parts of what had happened with Jordan, he knew the facts and he knew that he was scared, not that he had really needed to tell him that. 

 

He sat awkwardly on the bench trying very much to ignore any memories of them together in this room. It was difficult for him, in the position he was in, to balance so many things; he had considered that maybe he might even allow himself to think about it properly later - but probably not. Naveed had been so kind to him and he felt glad he had decided it was him he trusted with his emotions, he had psyched him up and respected him in a way he never thought men could do. And that was when Naveed walked through the door, just catching Cory's eyes leaving the far right wall and knowing exactly what he was thinking of.

 

Did it have any significance he wondered, that Cory had chosen this place to meet, it could be the brilliant and passionate confession of love he wanted or it could be a definitive end. Neither was seeming rather likely in the current atmosphere and it was alarming to him.

 

“I - Hey, sorry um…” Cory began, internally cursing at himself for his awful start knowing just how confused his friend must be. “I…” he took a deep breath to fill his lungs with a much-needed confidence, “I just needed to talk to someone.”

 

Naveed let out a breath he was unaware he had been holding and moved closer to Cory to relax into the tone of the room. “Go on, it's okay” he smiled in his direction, sitting close to him but not too close for comfort. Cory had spoken to him before about things that were going on but never gone into too much depth. He had spoken about his fear for Jordan and even though he hadn't gone into it properly Naveed could feel how it affected him. Every time someone mentioned his name he would feel Cory’s mood change and his muscles tense that small bit more than usual; sometimes he was concerned that all of the things going on might make him turn to violence when he hadn’t the thought had begun to shame him. Now he couldn't imagine how this boy could ever be angry- he was so soft and melancholy whenever he chose to speak about how he felt.

 

And it spilled out like opened floodgates, words tripping over themselves to be heard by Naveed’s precious mind. He was composed, at first. “People keep on asking me about him and I don't know what to say, no one will tell me anything anyway…” He locked eyes with Naveed as he started to well up, unsure of how to react. How could he comfort him without making it uncomfortable, he wondered, was it possible? But there was a haunted, desperate look in Cory's eyes that said he didn't care about rules, he needed support and that was all he could give him. 

 

A shuddering sob suddenly erupted from Cory as he felt Naveed's arms curl around him in a protective bubble. “I'm scared for him, I'm scared that it's my fault and I can't do anything… it's so stupid, so fucking stupid I-” he was cut off by a second sob that pushed him further into Naveed's arms and he felt the events of his interaction with Mr Bell repeating. However now he felt that he didn't have to run, he wasn't shouting or screaming but whispering and hiding his shame in the warm crease of Naveed's arm. “It's not stupid, he's your brother, I know you care.” He responded after what felt like hours but was realistically thirty seconds of comfort.

 

“I'm sorry I didn't want to do this but i- I care so much and I'm just like him-” Cory began, slowly pushing himself away and wiping the tears away alarmingly harshly from his face. “I'm just like dad and I know it.” He was getting louder, turning his heaving body away from his friend and towards the blank, emotionless wall. “Just like the bastard!” He shouted, smashing his hand into the headboard in pure anguish; Naveed jumped at the sudden movement and without hesitation snaked his arms around the still crying Cory, pulling him into his warm embrace as he struggled. “I can't do it-” he moaned between violent tears, pushing Naveed even though he didn't want to as he knew no other way.

 

He hated that he had been scared by his vulnerability yet again, the glow of acceptance and understanding had alarmed him like a dog to fireworks and sent him into his blocked state of mind. He hated it, he wanted to feel warm and safe again but how could he when Naveed had heard him say the truth, he shook and pounded against him because he was just like his father and it showed. It… it showed.

 

He ran out of energy, he was too small to fight and he lay there accepting his fate as the broken boy of Ackley bridge, wild like an animal in the arms of a beautiful teen. Someone far too beautiful to be dealing with any of the things he had piled on to him. “I don't think you're like him, Cory,” Naveed began, hoping for a positive response to alleviate the stress of it all but Cory was shocked by it all. He was so wrapped up in the thought that it was his fault that he couldn't stand anyone saying otherwise and he sat up, erect. 

 

“No, I fucking am and you know it, when have I ever been good to the kid? I hit him too, I gave him shit because I felt bad and dad got to him because of it how can you say I'm not like him and mean it?!” He regretted his tone, he regretted his anguish but he could do nothing but silently regret. “Cory, stop doing this to yourself, you aren't like him! Say it, it's not your fault!” 

 

They had been here before, brought there by Cory's lack of belief in himself and his ability to overcome. He could remember this feeling, the feeling that he was not in charge, his intrusive thoughts and impulsive tendencies did not get to be the boss as the calmest and most trusting voice joined the screaming crowd. A voice that believed in him truly believed in him in a way no one ever had before. Encouraging him to believe in the things he said too, until the point when nothing could distract him except a second weakness being revealed. His weakness for the skeletal boy with chocolate eyes. 

 

They would always return to this point, he thought, always circling here until Cory took a step to end his streak of anguish alone in changing rooms. How did they manage to find themselves in this moment again? Naveed must be the only person in this world who would put up with so much personal torture and self-pity only to rise up and say 'no, you can do this’ and to get him to say it too. It was a miracle that he thought could only come along once before the chance was missed, but that wasn't true, was it? 

 

Naveed was right, he was not like his father in one aspect and one alone: he could admit to weakness and defeat. Defeat to the belief in him from someone who made his heart flutter in a way that he didn't think anyone else ever had before. This was a rare moment even to them and he would not pass it up, he refused and this was his standpoint.

 

“Come home with me.” He uttered, blankly as he had been so wrapped up deep in thought that he had no time to form the emotion around it. He composed his face as Naveed stared back at him in shock, wiping his eyes and putting on the most comforting face he could manage. “My dad’s out for the rest of the week… and we never spend any time together anymore, you know since the whole…” he scratched the back of his head awkwardly with his hand, realising he really had no idea what he was asking but he had done it now and there was no going back.

 

Naveed noticed how Cory had suddenly got up and smiled but couldn’t hide the weak, shakiness that was still in his voice from mere moments ago. Every part of him knew that this wasn’t a good idea, that he would probably get turned into some cruel joke the next day and then it would be him that had the text chain going around telling everyone what a freak he was. But he ignored it, he ignored it because there was one small part of him that believed Cory wouldn’t do that to him, that he wouldn’t be able to after everything that had happened. He wasn’t Hayley Booth. Besides, Cory was far more attractive than Riz. 

  
“What are you asking me?” he responded after a moment's uncomfortable silence, during which Cory had questioned if he had made the right decision at all. “You know, I mean it’s not like  _ that _ , it’s just… you know?” Cory muttered, trying to pass it off as a coherent sentence with a cocky grin and a punch to the shoulder but it was clear he either didn’t know or didn’t have the guts to admit it. “No, Cory I don’t know.” He said, truthfully; it was one thing saying ‘wanna come round and play xbox, I’ve heard there's a fortnite update’ or ‘let’s hang out, I’ve got a few beers in’ but what Cory had said, sounded too much like he really was asking what he was pretending to know nothing about and it wasn’t fair, especially not when he looks at him with those deep eyes and smiles using that stupid mouth of his. Cory looked as if he was going to speak again, thinking it through and looking a little more lost than he liked to let on he opened his mouth. 

 

Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Mr Simpson and all of his rowdy atmosphere strolled into the room with a slam of the door, “I should have known it would be you two, you know you’re not supposed to be in here, go on, shift.” He ordered, pointing a finger towards the door and nodding appreciatively top Cory as he left the room with his typical smooth walking stroll that he had somehow managed to pick up just in time. “See you at seven yeah mate?” He called past Mr Simpson’s blocking arm, the only thing that revealed that anything at all had happened was his doe eyes still staring into his, they both knew he was thankful Naveed had bothered to listen to him at all and for him, that was enough.

 

Cory made his way down the corridor and towards the rest of his friends, Naveed (understandably) hadn’t followed him. He found that he actually did feel a lot better, it was as though a weight he had been carrying around with him was gone for while and he was free to wink at girl and strut as much as he pleased and feel like a normal teenager just for a bit longer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hasn't really been proof read so I'm very very open to any constructive criticism :))

Cory felt better, well better than he had earlier. Even though it was still strangely apparent that his brother was nowhere he felt safe in the knowledge that someone would save him when he couldn’t. That was something Naveed had taught him, he couldn’t try and do everything and maybe that was okay. In any case, he had had enough of being emotional today and it was taken over by childish nerves at the idea he had invited him over; it’s not like he hadn’t been over before, but somehow this was different. This felt so much more personal than a simple game of Fifa or pissing about with a tennis ball in the back garden purely because of everything that had happened, and maybe he thought it meant something else too. The time for him to be scared was over now, he had built up fighting against his father and now he was going to translate his easy school confidence into whatever this was. “Just do what feels natural” he muttered to himself in the bathroom mirror, slapping his face a little to knock the message into himself, doing what feels natural couldn’t be that hard, he’d done it before… countless times in fact. He couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the stupid things he was doing, it was nothing out of the ordinary really and whatever it was, it would be breezed through with boyish confidence (not obnoxiously this time).

That was the plan anyway, but he couldn’t help but let out an incredibly embarrassing squeak when he heard the knock at the door, he quickly coughed and blushed a furious red knowing that he was acting like a teenage girl. He was a man! He was going to strut up to the door and open it and be open about what he was there for, even if he didn’t know that right now it would totally be fine.

The door swung open and Naveed put on his best smooth grin even though his stomach was doing backflips looking at Cory leaning against the door frame with a cocky smile on his face. “I showed up then, what’s so desperate that you need me around?” He asked, managing to keep his cool somehow in what was a very gay, high-pressure situation. “Well, you know… it’s just stuff innit?” Cory managed to muddle out before internally cursing him, “I know right, more time with me talking must be fucking awful!” He joked in a hurried attempt to cover up his awkward mistake but Naveed was looking at him with the laddish look on his face all but gone and now he was confused and Cory didn’t like that one bit. “Okay, hands up I don’t really know why you’re here… I don’t think so anyway,” He confessed with a drop in tone, moving towards him in an apologetic way he wasn’t sure he meant too. “I’ve got some game I was playing with my dad loaded if you want... “ he gulped at the closeness but didn’t quite manage to feel uncomfortable, he kept eye contact with Naveed as he spoke, “to play or anything might be good.” He realised he wasn’t quite paying attention to what he was saying and seemed to be unable to focus on anything but the slight height difference between them meaning Naveed was looking up ever so slightly and exposing his neck, he breathed deeply and realised this situation felt very familiar. It was entirely possible Cory himself had been moving towards him, slowly intertwining their bodies, but he wasn’t very sure. “I’d like that…” Naveed whispered as his breath shook just a little and he suddenly became so unsure.

Cory remembered the promise he had made to himself mere minutes ago, it didn’t matter if he was being serious or not because he had promised to just do what came naturally and he wasn’t going to ignore that again. With a surprising lack of hesitation, he crossed his thumb across Naveed’s cheek and couldn’t help but shudder at the intensity and purity conflicting inside two seconds, it was irresistible, impossible to ignore and somehow the most masculine he had ever felt. He closed his eyes gently as he nudged the shorter of the two up to his mouth with a hand on his chin.  
They held the gentle kiss for a moment before breaking just as they had done before, however it was now Cory who had made the move and held the dominance in the palm of his hand. Naveed’s eyes looked at him as though he couldn’t quite believe any of this was happening, there was a fire burning behind that and it enticed him even more. He was sure he must have had a similar look because it sparked something that should have been there before but couldn’t quite break out, now there was nothing to stop them in their primal states and Cory was finally in a situation where he knew exactly what to do.  
Their lips crashed together in a hurried state as though they were grasping for something, which you could suppose was partially true, and Cory felt himself fall back into the bannister and balance himself just in time. Naveed couldn’t help but laugh at the noise as Cory faltered a little and tried to regain his posture, “shut up!” He whispered loudly as he attached himself to the boy beneath him with a giggle. There was an air of expectation now they were there, it was all well and good being caught in the throes of teenage passion, but the stairs had connotations Naveed wasn’t quite sure fitted the atmosphere. Cory seemed to know what was going on now he had passed that mental block so he began to kiss all the way down Naveed’s neck, hardly being able to believe the noise he made. There it was again, the giggle of ‘I can’t believe this is happening when you’re such an idiot’ and now it was Naveed’s turn to smirk and laugh it off as he kissed Cory again and looked up at him grinning with messy hair and flushed cheeks. How they were going to deal with this later he didn’t know, he trusted Cory to be kind but you could never be too sure.

Again Cory took the time to look at who was next to him and marvel at everything this moment held. He could only remember doing this once before with one girl who he had cared about so deeply that he took time to think maybe it was about more than sex. He knew this was, not that he had any idea how to go about this but it was about far more than getting off with someone fit because you can. He smiled and looked at Naveed with a warm smile before moving his mildly plumped lips towards his ear and whispering, sending the hairs on Naveed’s neck upright with a soft tingling feeling. “I’m going to take you upstairs… and we aren’t going to have sex,” He whispered in a smooth voice, planting a gentle kiss below his ear and holding his hand gently.

Naveed was giddy with all that had happened and almost didn’t dare to believe he had managed to convince Cory Wilson, the walking STD, to not only kiss a boy and mean it but to not have sex with someone. It was almost as though he had some kind of magic power, he thought, it’s almost a shame they weren’t going to in that case.  
Cory couldn’t help but laugh again as they tripped over each other getting up the stairs and he put a clumsy finger over his mouth in case they alerted the neighbours, Naveed was certain all of the adrenaline had gone to his head as he made the bold decision to lick it. “Eugh you minger!” Cory yelled showing him cheekily and pinning him against the wall breathlessly and feeling brave enough to kiss him once more.

And now they were here somehow after months of build-up, Cory was running his hands underneath Naveed’s shirt as he pinned him down to the bed, it was fun and it was carefree and they were just being teenagers. Somewhere along the way, Cory had lost his shirt but he wasn’t too bothered, if he hadn’t had a little bit of class he may have made a joke about something else keeping him warm but something told him not to do that. Naveed gasped as he felt Cory’s hands leave his chest and he fell down next to him on the bed, dishevelled but still surprisingly PG for what he had expected. If anything it was better than what he had thought upon first seeing Cory, it was warmer, more familiar.

“Well that was something,” he muttered, “who says it’s over” Cory replied, before being pushed away in an incredibly close play fight. “I mean it though… I wasn’t sure you were ever going to like me, not that it mattered. I don’t know what I’m going to tell my mum or anyone at school I mean what are we actually doing?” he asked, suddenly letting loose the worries that had slowly accumulated. Cory took over the position as the carer and laced his arm around Naveed, allowing him to bury into his bare chest. “It doesn’t matter, they don’t have to know… not that I’m ashamed because I’m not, but we can’t tell them and that’s fine, maybe it will be okay, we could even have fun?” He suggested, making sure that Naveed knew he wasn't going to back out this time, he had learnt and grown and wasn’t going to run away.  
“So what are you doing here then? I mean we know you’re not gay,” He smiled, still, there was some trepidation about it as though he wasn’t really sure anything was going to last. “Well, I…” Cory thought, suddenly realising he didn’t know himself, he had no answers to give, “it’s not about being gay, it’s who you care about, who you want to be with,” He paused for a second to let it all sink in, “and who’s fit.” He smirked, feeling Naveed give him a slight nudge to the ribs. Everything that was happening now was unplanned to both of them, Cory had never been able to picture being close enough with someone to want to stay after anything had happened, Naveed had only ever imagined steamy kisses and hidden erections in gym shorts. Neither had been prepared for the warmth that came with resing next to someone you truly wanted to be next to, it was a light fuzzy feeling that rippled through them.

After a minute or two of Cory weaving his hands through the dark head of hair on his chest and complacent sighs, he spoke again, breaking the comforting wall surrounding them. “I’m sorry. For being a prick, I mean. All that stuff before I didn’t mean it and I didn’t want to upset you or… shit.” He mumbled, just about getting his point across; it was true, he felt like a dick for how he had been and he didn’t know if he was scared or defensive or overcompensating- but he had been a prized wanker and he knew there was no way around it.  
He remembered the moment that hit home for him after days of somehow thinking he could trick himself into acting like Naveed had been the one at fault for all of it. It had been simple, he had forgotten that maybe he wasn’t just hurting him but he had been pushing him away, shit maybe he’s even been threatening to out him and thought nothing of it until he hadn’t taken his hand. Naveed had let some other boy slip between them when at the base of instinct he had reached for him. Maybe that explained some of earlier today to him, in any case, it spoke more about him than he was prepared to admit. Feeling that loss of control, that idea that someone else held the power to make him pine and wish for something meant so much and almost too much, definitely too much to ignore. So he had done it, he had started a spark of forgiveness that had become a flame, only dampened by peppering in odd smarmy comments and cheeky side glances that really meant nothing at all. Really, even then, even in every moment up until minutes ago, he had been being a dick. He had to apologise for that; if Naveed (like he thought he probably would) insisted there was nothing wrong then he may not be able to live with himself. He wasn’t like his father but he had unknowingly done something very much him, and that was such a problem. He knew that, he knew jokes and shoves and pushing him away for his own sake was a huge problem and he wasn’t afraid to admit that. So there, Naveed had been right all along, he wasn’t like his dad… maybe he had him to thank for that and all.

“Yeah… you were a prized dickhead you were.” Naveed grinned, making Cory un-tense and know that he had been forgiven in one simple sentence, even though there was probably a long way to go. His smile faltered as he looked back up at Cory in wonder, what was next? He questioned, it seemed increasingly likely this wouldn’t flourish into anything and would be left to moments like this. It worried him, on top of everything else about this he was worried that he had discovered something he couldn’t keep hold of for very long. “We’ll be okay, won't we?” he asked, wide-eyed and staring up. “Of course, we’ll be okay.” Cory said warmly, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss on his forehead, “just fine…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of ironic when you think about what actually happened wow.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I managed to capture Cory's character as he is so difficult to write for me damn it!


End file.
